CBSE Class 12-science Answered

Dear student,

 

When waves move from one type of medium to another, from air to water for example, they bend or change direction. This phenomenon is called refraction.

The reason the bending occurs is because waves travel at different speeds in different materials. Light is one example of a wave that is refracted when it moves through different media. The initial and bent angles of a light ray are measured based on the relation to the normal. The normal is a straight line that is perpendicular, or at right angles, to the surface where the light enters the medium. The density of the medium within which the light is traveling will determine the speed of the light. If the light ray moves into a denser medium, it will slow down, so the ray will bend toward the normal. Bending towards the normal makes the angle of refraction smaller than the angle of incidence. If the light moves into a less dense medium, it speeds up, causing it to bend away from the normal and the angle of refraction will be larger than the angle of incidence.

 

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